Those who can pull their eyes away from his chrome dome will notice that Matt Damon managed to pack on a healthy sum of muscle mass for his new science fiction film Elysium — a task he was bent on undertaking once he saw director Neill Blomkamp’s illustration of what his movie’s hero should look like. In the above interview for the feature, Damon goes into a bit of detail about the physical demands of this action-heavy role, expressing his fondness for sci-fi blockbusters and his long desire to be part of one.

On the topic of the genre, Damon talks about how science fiction can lay the groundwork for the discussion of certain political themes — stressing, however, how difficult it is to really deliver a message in a two hour movie — and even delved into a possible connection that Elysium might share with another recent sci-fi blockbuster, Avatar.

Damon stars as Max, a former criminal who is called to take a journey to the luxury land in the sky when a hefty dose of toxic radiation finds its way into his system. Catch Blomkamp’s new movie in theaters on Friday.